Germany Prepares for Bush at €12-million security costs: A Wild Boar for the President - by Björn Hengst
When the most powerful man in the world -- and one of the most controversial -- is about to visit, even the most minute of details suddenly become important. In the small town of Trinwillershagen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, reporters from the country's tabloid press have converged to witness the big hunt. Local innkeeper Olaf Micheel is on a mission shoot the perfect deer and wild boar to serve next week when United States President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel descend on the town, and its 1,000 residents, for a barbeque.
Many locals, however, are unhappy about the visit. For weeks now, state and federal authorities have locked antlers over who should be responsible for picking up the tab for the enormous security costs Bush's visit will entail. The state Interior Ministry estimates that security during Bush's three-day visit will set authorities back by €12 million. About 12,000 police will be needed to provide security when the president visits Rostock, Stralsund and the luxury Baltic Sea resort Heiligendamm, where Bush will spend the night. The state is arguing that Merkel's government, which invited Bush in the first place, should pay. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is plagued by high unemployment, a weak economy with little industry and it has severe financial problems.
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